


Melted Bliss

by Spunky0ne



Category: Bleach
Genre: @seireitei challenge, Comfort food for Carla, M/M, Melty chocolate smexiness, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:00:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29427789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunky0ne/pseuds/Spunky0ne
Summary: When Byakuya overhears Rukia discussing something Ichigo loves, there's only one thing he can do…
Relationships: Kuchiki Byakuya/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 13
Kudos: 32
Collections: The Seireitei Server Valentine's Writing and Art Challenge 2021





	Melted Bliss

Byakuya woke to the sound of a bird chirping, and the lovely scent of flowers drifted into his bedroom through the open garden doors. He breathed slowly, listening to the soft morning sounds for several minutes as his body woke fully. Then, he sat up and slipped his feet over the edge of the bed. His attendant arrived at the room’s inner door as Byakuya stood.

“Good morning, Byakuya-sama,” the attendant greeted him.

“Good morning, Torio.”

The two headed into the dressing area and Byakuya stood quietly in front of the mirror as Torio’s caring hands dressed him, then combed out the long strands of his hair and set the expensive hair ornaments in place.

“Has Michio been to see Kurosaki…erm… _Shiba_ Ichigo this morning?” Byakuya asked the attendant.

“Hai. He was in first thing this morning. Ichigo-sama is healing well, although Michio-san did tell him to avoid fighting for now, as his spirit centers were singed by the heavy eruption of power as the quincy king died.”

“How are Rukia and Renji?”

“Rukia is much improved and has been cleared to return to her division.”

“Hmm, yes,” Byakuya acknowledged, “With the passing of Ukitake Juushiro, there will be much for her to do there.”

“It is so sad to lose Ukitake taicho,” Torio said somberly.

“Yes,” Byakuya agreed, “he was a very respectable taicho…and a good friend to our family.”

“I agree.”

Torio finished his work and stood back for a moment to ensure the Kuchiki leader looked as expected, then he nodded approvingly and Byakuya stepped out of the dressing area.

“I heard that Rukia-chan passed her competencies for the taicho position.”

“Yes,” Byakuya acknowledged, “and I have given Kyoraku sotaicho my recommendation. Assuming there are no objections, which I do not expect there will be, she will be made taicho of the 13th division in a month.”

“You must be very proud of her.”

“I am,” Byakuya affirmed, “I am confident that she will bring honor to our family’s name.”

Byakuya walked to the sword stand and picked up his weapon, then he set it carefully in place at his waist.

“Did Michio give any news about Renji’s condition?” he asked, “Abarai was still unconscious when I went to see him last night.”

Torio bit his lip to hide a little smirk.

“Tetsuya-san remained with him through the night to tend to his wounds and to try to wake him.”

“Was Tetsuya able to stir him?”

Torio coughed and his green eyes twinkled as he tried unsuccessfully to tame his growing smile.

“He did, indeed.”

Byakuya frowned curiously.

“Would you like to explain?”

“W-well, sir,” Torio managed, laughing a little as he spoke, “Renji-san did wake…but he was still delirious and he grabbed Tetsuya-san and kissed him and said he was the most beautiful angel he’d ever seen.”

“ _Baka…_ I hope Tetsuya was not too flustered.”

“He seemed more flattered than flustered,” the attendant chuckled, “and when my brother was dressing Tetsuya-san earlier this morning, he noticed Tetsuya-san smiling more than usual, and he opted for a kimono instead of his house guard’s uniform.”

“I see,” the Kuchiki leader sighed, “I suppose Tetsuya is free to pursue a relationship with my fukutaicho if that is his wish…but I will have a word with Renji when he is fully awake and in control of his senses.”

“Of course, sir,” Torio chuckled.

Byakuya took a final look in the mirror as his attendant finished with him, then he exited the room through the garden doors and headed towards the nearby koi pond where he usually spent some time in meditation every morning. But as he passed the room next to his, several voices drifted out and his feet stopped as their words registered.

“Valentine’s Day is coming,” Rukia said conversationally, “We should do something.”

“But you said that you’re going to be made a taicho,” Ichigo replied, “Aren’t you gonna be pretty busy with that?”

“Not right away,” Rukia assured him, “so I can go to Karakura Town.”

_Hmm, she is going to spend a lover’s holiday with Ichigo?_

_Not if I have anything to say about it._

He heard Ichigo laugh softly and felt an odd burning of slight anger.

“You gonna come and have some fun with Orihime?” Ichigo snickered, “I heard about you two and what happened while she was _healing_ you.”

Byakuya froze.

_Inoue Orihime?_

_The human healer?_

He swallowed hard at the implication, then shook his head to clear it of the images that came to mind.

_I suppose my sister should be able to see whomever she feels is most worthy of her affections…as long as it is not…_

“Shut up!” Rukia snapped playfully, “At least I _have_ a lover to spend Valentine’s Day with. You’re so clueless, you totally missed when Uryuu was trying to flirt with you.”

“I said I was sorry about that!” Ichigo objected.

“Too bad it wasn’t until he’d already found someone else,” Rukia went on, “And then, there was Tatsuki…”

“Don’t go there. You know I’m not into…”

“Yeah, I know,” Rukia huffed dismissively, “and if you don’t stop being such an idiot, you’re going to have nothing to do on Valentine’s Day but sit there and eat a bunch of chocolate until you puke.”

“Hey, I _like_ chocolate! Who doesn’t like chocolate…especially really dark chocolate?”

“Well, as much time as you _don’t_ spend thinking about eating chocolate, you’d think you could find time to figure out who you like and _tell them!_ ”

“What the heck?” Ichigo complained as Byakuya turned away and stepped back into his own room.

_Ichigo likes very dark chocolate also?_

He bit his lip gently, considering.

_I do owe Ichigo a debt of gratitude for his actions in the recent conflict with the quincies. It is not just because it was Ichigo who, in the end, slew the quincy king and saved Soul Society yet again. In the beginning of the war, Ichigo raced to find me, to comfort me while I was sure that my life was ending. I think that seeing him and feeling his presence and his resolve is what made me determined enough to endure until help arrived and I could be evacuated to the royal realm for emergency healing at Zero Division’s hands._

_Yes, Ichigo is the reason I survived…and so, there is only one thing for me to do. I must honor him in a proper way to show him my gratitude._

He first walked into his study and knelt at the low table in the center of the room, quietly consulting the laptop computer for nearly a half hour before finding what he was looking for and touching the button to print the recipe. Recipe in hand, he then headed to the main house kitchen, where he found the old housekeeper and kitchen staff beginning preparations for the midday meal.

“Matsuko,” he said solemnly, “if it is not too much trouble, I could use your expertise in preparing this recipe.”

The elderly woman studied the recipe, then she looked back at the waiting Kuchiki leader and smiled.

“You are preparing this for someone special, Kuchiki-sama?” she inquired.

“Yes,” the noble confessed, “I want to be sure that it comes out well.”

Matsuko nodded.

“And you want this to be heart-shaped or…?”

“No,” Byakuya replied, showing the woman another picture that made breath catch slightly and made her have to suppress a little amused giggle.

“I see,” she answered, smirking, “I think I can help you.”

They moved to a part of the kitchen that was not being used and the housekeeper set out the ingredients. As they worked together to prepare the concoction, Matsuko stole little curious glances at the young man she had known since his birth.

“It’s been a long time since you did something like this,” she commented, studying Byakuya’s handsome profile, “I remember when you and Soujun used to come in here so late at night and cook up your little treasures.”

Byakuya looked back at the old woman out of the corner of one steel grey eye.

“I remember that fondly too,” he admitted.

Matsuko considered her words carefully before continuing.

“It is a special person who makes you recall such happiness…and maybe brings you more of it?” she commented.

Byakuya paused for a moment before turning his head slightly to meet the old woman’s eyes.

“Yes.”

Matsuko’s dark eyes grew happy and affectionate as the two finished the preparations and carefully molded the ingredients into the shape that the Kuchiki leader had chosen. When their masterpiece was finished and had cooled sufficiently, Matsuko tucked it gently into a pink box and tied a red bow around it. She handed it to Byakuya, who looked back at her with gratitude and, she thought, with happier eyes than she had seen in a long time.

“The person you give this to is very lucky,” the old housekeeper chuckled, “I hope they appreciate it.”

Byakuya nodded and turned away.

“Thank you. I hope he likes it too.”

He left Matsuko looking after him with an affectionate expression.

“If he doesn’t, then he is a fool.”

Byakuya took the box back to his study and he set it down on the desk and took out quill and ink. He carefully added a few words to the outside of the box in his best calligraphy, then he let the ink dry before picking up the box again and exiting the room. He walked past his bedroom and paused by the door to the room where Ichigo laid, healing from his wounds. Peeking in, he saw that Ichigo was alone and appeared to be asleep. Using a special silent flash step he’d learned from his old senpai, Yoruichi, he appeared at Ichigo’s bedside just long enough to set the box on the nightstand, next to his bed, then he left, using the same flash step.

As he disappeared out the door, Ichigo’s eyes opened and he looked around in confusion, sensing the familiar scent of sakura in the air.

“B-byakuya?”

He sat up slowly, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck and letting out a little chuckle.

“Checking up on me, huh?”

Then, he spotted the box on the nightstand and a little smile touched his lips. He picked up the box and read the neatly written words.

“With gratitude for your commitment to the things that are most important to us both.”

The note wasn’t signed.

_Like I couldn’t tell from the perfect calligraphy or the scent he leaves behind…_

He pulled the string on the bow and opened the box, then he looked inside at the odd, but perfectly formed rendition of what Ichigo had learned from Rukia was called the Seaweed Ambassador. He bit at his lips, snickering and working hard to contain an actual laugh that tried to escape him.

“Oh my god!” he giggled softly, then more affectionately, “Byakuya.”

Hearing footsteps on the walkway outside his room, Ichigo slipped the little box and its dubious treasure into the nightstand drawer, where it remained all afternoon while he visited with his friends and continued his recovery. But after dark, he slipped out of bed and wrapped a warmer yukata around his slim body. Taking the little boxed gift, he crept out the garden doors and headed across the grounds, following one of the trails out to a little cliff next to a pretty waterfall that fell down into a larger lake in the meadow below. He found the Kuhciki leader kneeling beneath one of the sakura trees near the cliff’s edge, the expensive ornaments gone and his black hair fluttering on the little breezes. Instead of his uniform, he wore a simple sleeping yukata…and still he looked more beautiful to Ichigo than ever.

“Are you going to stand there all night, watching me, or are you going to tell me why you’ve come here?” Byakuya asked quietly, startling the ginger-haired man into moving forward.

Ichigo moved to Byakuya’s side and sat down next to him. He reached a hand into his yukata and withdrew the little box, containing the dark chocolate Seaweed Ambassador.

“I…came to thank you for the Valentine gift,” he answered, opening the box.

Byakuya glanced at him out of the corner of one grey eye.

“I do not know what you are talking about,” he said calmly.

“Yeah, right,” Ichigo snickered, “Seriously? Who else would give me something like this?”

“You do not like it?” Byakuya asked, a note of hurt in his voice.

“What? Are you kidding me?” Ichigo giggled, “It’s great, and I love dark chocolate. Thank you, Byakuya.”

The noble paused, still looking up into the sky.

“You are welcome.”

Ichigo’s golden brown eyes turned softer and more affectionate as he broke off a piece of the chocolate and leaned towards Byakuya, looking into the noble’s surprised eyes as he slipped the chocolate in between the man’s protesting lips.

“I wanna share some with you.”

Byakuya’s lips froze for a moment, then wrapped around the offered treat, brushing lightly against the fingers of the younger man. Ichigo slipped a piece of the chocolate into his own mouth and leaned towards Byakuya, fastening his mouth on the Kuchiki leader’s and bringing him down onto his back as the two shared the melty, bittersweet confection.

“Mmmm,” Ichigo sighed into Byakuya’s devouring mouth, igniting a warm exchange of harder, more ardent kisses that ended with Byakuya lying on his back, looking up at the stars and Ichigo resting on top of him, “so good!”

He licked the Kuchiki leader’s now slightly smiling lips, letting his hands slide down Byakuya’s body to loosen their clothing. To his surprise, Byakuya made no objection, only adding his own hands to help. He parted his thighs readily as Ichigo hastily dampened his chocolatey fingers and engaged in a hasty preparation before sinking his flushed and swollen member into Byakuya’s tight entrance. He paused, panting softly and looking affectionately down into the Kuchiki leader’s hazy eyes and calm expression.

“I’m glad you survived,” he whispered into a blushing ear as he waited for the man beneath him to adjust to the younger man’s size.

“I wasn’t going to die after you gave me such hope,” Byakuya sighed, silently thanking all of the stars in the sky for the beautiful sensation he felt as Ichigo began to move.

Their words ended there, but they filled their mouths with more of the chocolate and writhed slowly together under the tender light of the starry sky. The nearby waterfall muted the little sounds they made as their pleasure increased until it seemed to explode through them. Byakuya’s back arched and a feral gasp escaped his parted lips as flaming heat erupted inside him, causing his own seething release to spill out onto their sweating flesh. The two collapsed entirely and laid in a pretty tangle under the night sky.

The box laid open beside them, the contents broken now and partially consumed, but the remaining part promising that their night together was far from over.


End file.
